Metallurgical characterization and high-temperature tensile failure of Inconel 617 alloy welded by GTAW and SMAW—a comparative study

Two types of the weld joint of Inconel 617 alloy were produced using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) processes with ERNiCrCoMo-1 filler metal and ENiCrCoMo-1 electrode, respectively. The weld metal showed the segregation of the principle alloying elements like Mo and Cr along the inter-dendritic spaces, triggering the formation of secondary phases. The microstructure characterization of the interface ensured the high dilution, which could be attributed to the closeness in melting point and chemistry of base and filler metal. Microhardness variation, tensile testing at room and high temperature, and Charpy impact test were conducted to investigate the effect of the Mo segregation in the weld zone and heterogeneity in the microstructure of weldments on the mechanical behavior of both the welded joints. The cross-weld tensile tests were conducted at room temperature and 550°C. The tensile test samples failed from the weld zone for each condition with a tensile strength value close to the base metal, which ensured the applicability of the joint for end service. The tensile strength of GTAW-RT, GTAW-HT, SMAW-RT, and SMAW-HT were measured as 766 ± 22 MPa, 570 ± 5 MPa, 760 ± 7 MPa, and 600 ± 8 MPa, respectively. A non-uniform hardness plot was witnessed with the hardness of the GTAW-weld and SMAW-weld zone of 257 ± 8 HV and 285 ± 5 HV, respectively, in the transverse direction. The impact toughness of the weld zone was 84 ± 2 J and 48 ± 4 J for GTAW and SMAW weld zone. The average impact toughness of the GTAW-weld zone was approximately 42% higher than the value of the SMAW-weld zone. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that the welded joint of Inconel 617 produced using the GTAW process with ERNiCrCoMo-1 filler had the best metallurgical and mechanical properties.